


Your kiss reminds me to breathe

by aucellaq



Series: Fool the king [2]
Category: Barbie as The Princess and the Pauper (2004)
Genre: Budding Relationship, Companion Piece, Established Romance, F/F, Fluff, Minor Angst, also yes hallo i did it again, catch me writing barbie fics just to please the crowd, fool the king au, this is so brand new to them you guys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-24 06:07:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18565483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aucellaq/pseuds/aucellaq
Summary: Finally in Dominic´s kingdom to begin their con to read the King before he can read them, Anneliese and Erika continue to pose as each other, or at the very least as the opposite of what they are used to. Erika still struggles with her position, fearing every little misstep that may compromise them, but Anneliese, who struggles just as much but shows it even less, is there to comfort her.





	Your kiss reminds me to breathe

**Author's Note:**

> this is a companion piece to my fic "Allowed to", which i'd recommend you go and read first if you haven't already, other than that, hope y'all like fluff mixed in with more social commentary about the monarchy !

Anneliese wasn’t only pretending to be the tailor, since in order to be allowed a shared chamber and not just be expelled to the servants´ quarters, she was in all ways a personal assistant and a lady in waiting, meant to be there for her princess´ every whim and wishes.

 Once they had arrived in Dominic´s kingdom, it was her job to have all of Erika´s belongings escorted to the guest wing and put in place and then make sure her liege was presentable for the first meeting with the King, before negotiations could begin. She had been preparing herself well for all of this, knowing it would be crucial to keep her disguise up. And then she’d gotten into the cart with Erika, and followed Erika into the rain, and then Erika had kissed her.

 Kissed her. Like a lover, like they were just kids having fun, like they were not a princess and pauper on a mission to see if one´s future husband – _A king, gods he’s a king!_ – was acceptable.

 Anneliese managed to have their chests taken to the right wing, but once she arrived with the last and lightest of luggage and found Erika awkwardly watching the servants unpack, it was hard not to break character and cry.

 Hands under her arms, clearly straining herself from trying to help the poor women at work, Erika looked at Anneliese with a desperation she knew too well. This was the woman who’d worked for every meal and night in a bed she’d ever had, who up until a few weeks ago had done nothing but take tireless orders from the terrible woman abusing her since childhood. Now she looked like someone would hit her if she didn’t pick up the slack soon. Anneliese knew it was not her place, but she had to do something.

 “Excuse me,” she said, her strong voice snapping the servants´ attention right away, and she looked at them sharply, “My Princess does not like strangers touching her belongings, so if you would please leave and let the rest of the staff be instructed as so. From now, I will be fetching anything she needs, unless special permission is given. Is that understood?”

 Baffled, the servants were still quick to their feet and rushing out of the room, apologizing to the fake princess on the way profusely. Now, most baffled of them all, Erika stood like stone on a shaking floor and stared at Anneliese.

 “How did you do that?” she asked, still holding herself tightly.

 Anneliese came up to her, laying her hands on her shoulders to soften the tension with her thumbs. It worked bit by bit, and then she led her to the bed and sat her down.

 “You are a regent on visit. They may not be your staff, but your satisfaction is important to them because it is important to the king. You could ask them to wake you each morning with a dance and the chef barking like your cat, and they’d ask no questions before arranging it.”

 Erika listened with mouth agape, eyes wide and no hesitation to dismiss it. “No way! That’d be embarrassing.”

 “That’s what I’m saying,” Anneliese said, unable to avoid smiling, “You can be as mad as a hatter and they’d still kiss your feet. They have to.”

 That brought a frown to the pretend princess´ face, and it took a moment for Anneliese to understand.

 “Of course, that doesn’t make it right. I’ve only made sure nobody will be able to snoop around, even by accident, nothing that hurts them.”

 Erika sighed and shrugged out of Anneliese´s hands. “Alright, can we just get this over with and go home then?”

 Now Anneliese was frowning. “I’m sorry, but this will take a few weeks at least, full of pleasantries and meetings and tours of the land.”

 “Of course, I knew that when I signed up.”

 The false pauper sat next to her, grabbing her wig at the front at pulling it off, then doing the same to Erika. Both the women had their hair set up tightly, so no locks would accidentally fall out between the cart and chamber, but now the discretion was unnecessary. She made to undress her princess, but Erika didn’t seem ready yet, picking at the cuffs of the dress again, pouting slightly.

 “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful,” she began, and it sunk Anneliese´s heart.

 “What do you mean?”

 Erika sighed and looked at her. “We’ve only just arrived and already you’ve saved our cover, how am I supposed to keep this up for weeks? At this rate we’ll be thrown out this evening, once I chuckle at the King´s voice or something.”

 “Nonsense!” Anneliese was quick to interrupt, seeing the mirror as she took her hands and clenched reassuringly. “I will be right with you – if anything, the King might find such thing brave, instead of the stuck up silence he’s so used to. He may even fall for you.” She said the last line teasingly, almost as a song, but it brought surprise to Erika´s face.

 “But, he’s supposed to marry you!”

 “And he surely will,” Anneliese sighed, taking the hands back to rest in her crotch, “Once this is over, he and I will be looking forward to a long marriage full of plenty heirs for our kingdoms and whatever prosperous life that may be.”

 For so long the thought of this mission hadn’t resulted in this dread she felt now, thinking of the meaning of it. To see if he’s good, if he leads his people or commands them, if he will be the right man to marry her. And she will be married, because she must, because that’s what an alliance is.

 She quickly tried to shake the thought off. That selfish idea that she could be angry about this. Her birth had already given her protection, food every day, no worries about disease or having to work for her livelihood, and whatever future children she has will never have to think of falling under same struggles as Erika when she lost her parents. She has everything, she cannot feel unfairly treated just because she couldn’t have this.

  _What is_ this _?_ A small voice asked, and even though her body´s response was to look back to Erika, she could not answer herself.

 It was three hours before the introductions, followed by dinner and then lounging, before they could return to the chamber for the night. When Anneliese finally convinces Erika to stand and be undressed, they fell back into a routine developed the past week as they practiced how to act. Each as a loyal servant and a nobility born into wealth and honor.

 As Anneliese laced up a new corset fit for evening dinner, the strings still difficult under her green fingers, she caught Erika sighing more and more.

 “You will be brilliant,” she promised, and without thinking, leaned down and kissed her bare shoulder.

 After returning to the cart, they had kissed and cuddled and held each other close, whispered sweetness and fond words to each other, giggling and almost getting a hiccup from it, but this sort of intimacy hadn’t been breached yet. Anneliese quickly pulled back and apologized.

 “No, don’t,” said Erika, turning around and taking her face in her hands. Her breath was caught a little faster, face flushed stunningly as her eyes searched for purchase in her Princess´. “You are all the comfort that I have here, and I would want nothing other. Please, kiss me when you want, wherever you want. It reminds me to breathe.”

 Struck, Anneliese leaned in again to catch her lips, pressing them together with fierce determination to remind her of all the ways she was alive.

 While it was not much, Anneliese forgo the time left before the servants fetched them for introductions and took Erika to the bed, still half-dressed and deep flushed from forehead to collarbones, and then traced her kisses along it. Lips pressing to Erika´s cheek, below her chin, the neck, shoulder, and down her arm till she held her hand tenderly, kissing the top like a proper knight for his love.

 Oh, was this love, or was it foolish longing? Maybe once she saw the king, Anneliese would remember her place and her heart would start pumping this hard for him, but right now it was Erika´s, and she did nothing to fight that.

 Knowing this could not go too far, least not yet, they did not undress any further, but that didn’t stop Erika´s hands from sneaking in where it didn’t need to pull. Anneliese´s clothes weren’t as snug or constricting as she was used to, so she squealed in surprise when the calloused fingers touched her naked back under the blouse.

 Erika giggled and pushed her on her back, leaning in to kiss her again, as the hand found way up front, softly caressing her stomach and collecting a heat in Anneliese´s neither regions she hadn’t felt for a while, not since the last time she had a quiet night to herself. Except with this, brought on by something other than her own hand, the feeling made her rigid and selfish in all the best ways.

 She grabbed the woman by the hips and dragged her on top, pressing their warmth closer, eliciting a soft moan from them both, followed by more giggling.

 “We need to get dressed,” Anneliese said giddily, drunk on joy and wishing it was untrue, “You are meeting the King, you can’t be flushed and improper like this.”

 Erika put their foreheads together, hand still very much on her stomach. “And I won’t be, because you will make me look a princess.”

 Anneliese smiled. “Indeed, I will.” Then tipped her head and kissed her again, breathing deeply through the nose to make it last, savoring the softness of her, of _this_.

 When two hours were left, it was Erika that pulled them out of this pink haze and got Anneliese to work dressing her. It was difficult not to get distracted by running her fingers up her arms or putting fleeting kisses all over her skin, smiling as she blushed a little more, but eventually she let it settle and made sure the skirts, the shawl and the pins were put in place – all at Erika´s instruction. Anneliese made sure to change as well, the process not needing extra hands but having them anyway, and then it was time to meet the king.

**Author's Note:**

> my second barbie fic, encouraged by the good folks commenting on it and leaving love and kudos. while i don't excatly have a plot planned out her, there are a few scenes in my mind concerning this story, while i've lovingly named "Fool the king" even though the king may not even make an appearence, whoops! 
> 
> anywho, hope you enjoyed!


End file.
